Biotechnology
BIOTECHNOLOGY Tier 0 Genome Mapping Post Count: 15 | Prerequisites: N/A Detailed genome sequencing and experimentation has led to a deep understanding of what each gene in your species does, opening it up to possible modification.(Automatically known for starting species, must be re-researched for biotech to apply to another species.) Transformation Post Count: 15 | Prerequisites: Genome Mapping By enlisting natural vectors, such as bacteria and viruses, very specific nucleotide sequences can be spliced for use in biotechnology. However useful, the methods are extremely primitive and make meaningful changes exceedingly difficult. Induced Pluripotency Post Count: 15 | Prerequisites: Genome Mapping A specific cocktail of chemical signals was discovered to revert differentiated cells back into their undifferentiated, pluripotent stem cell form. These induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs have incredible relevancy in the creation of chimeras and restorative medical technologies. Tier 1 Synthetic DNA Post Count: 15 | Prerequisites: N/A Methods have been developed to generate customized DNA sequences for use in splicing easily and efficiently. The synthetic strands are limited in their usefulness, as they can only mimic or very slightly deviate from what is already understood. DNA Splicing Post Count: 15 | Prerequisites: Transformation Superior methods to the difficult to use transformation processes have finally been developed, Using modified bacterial proteins, exact cuts can be made in DNA. Major changes to an organism's genome can be made; now your pets can glow! Tailored Medicine Post Count: 15 | Prerequisites: Transformation, Induced Pluripotency Sometimes, you can make the best out of a bad situation. Such is the case with tailored medicine. Viruses, essentially tissue-seeking hypodermic needles full of genetic material usually carry disease. Now, they can be reprogrammed to insert helpful sequences of DNA in specific places instead. In addition, new chemical signals have been discovered or synthesized to help iPSCs differentiate into difficult tissues such as nerves and brain tissue. Psi: Indexing and Examination Post Count: 15 | Prerequisites: N/A To better understand the phenomenon of psionics, data must be collected. Large scale studies to examine the brain's behavior during psionic action will help to identify what regions of the brain are most responsible for psionic ability. In addition, comprehensive psionic research will help a species understand exactly what it is capable of. Tier 2 Genome Repair Post Count: 20 | Prerequisites: DNA Splicing Genome repair covers a host of techniques used to prevent the proliferation of genetic diseases in a population, plus rudimentary life extending genetic therapies. Individuals who have been genefixed enjoy years added to their lifespan, and have near-zero chances to develop cancers and other maladies associated with a compromised genome. Synthetic Genes Post Count: 20 | Prerequisites: Synthetic DNA Though the map of your species' genome was avaliable, much of the interaction between genes and how those genes worked was unknown. Synthetic DNA helped to create a foundation on how specific genes worked. Now with a solid foundation, genes that never existed before in nature can be synthesized to manufacture novel proteins. Active Genetic Modification Post Count: 20 | Prerequisites: DNA Splicing, Tailored Medicine For the extent of your species' history, what you were born with was what you got. Once early biotechnology was avaliable, embryos could be modified to improve an individual's lot in life. Now, using targeted vectors and specifically formulated genetic packages, minor changes can be made in adult individuals such as pigmentation. Chimera Gestation Post Count: 20 | Prerequisites: DNA Splicing Readily modifiable DNA can now be easily combined between organisms to create new organisms with a mix of features, most relevant in the exchange of features between similar organisms. While great for limb and organ farming, difficulties in scaling these features and genetic incompatibilities make chimeras between distantly related organisms impossible. Psi: Psitropics Post Count: 25 | Prerequisites: Tailored Medicine, Indexing and Examination Hyper-specific delivery mechanisms and an understanding of where psionic activity takes place in a brain allows the delivery of specialty chemicals to psionically active regions. Select nootropic cocktails - termed "psitropics" - have been demonstrated to help relieve psionic stress and improve multitasking ability. More potent blends have the added benefit of boosting the range of a telepathy user, or mass lifted by a telekinetic. Psitropics, like many other drugs, carry great risk. Psitropics are addictive, and withdrawal leads to lowered psionic ability. Long term habitual users find their psionic capabilities slipping anyway. Psitropic overdoses are possible, and result in effects similar to critical psionic stress; death, or loss of psionic ability. Tier 3 Sophisticated Cloning Post Count: 30| Prerequisites: Synthetic Genes For the longest time, cloning was only used for niche purposes and had an incredibly high failure rate. Through careful application of genetic therapies to cloned embryos, the failure rate of cloning has dropped dramatically. In addition, synthetic genes can be inserted to speed up the development of the cloned embryo. Improved Chimera Gestation Post Count: 30 | Prerequisites: Synthetic Genes, Chimera Gestation The development of artificial genes has allowed your scientists to finally address the scaling and incompatibility issues that existed in earlier chimera concepts. Now parts of one organism can be shrunk or expanded to fit the scale of another, and edited to address any problems that arise from genetic incompatibility. Synthetic Tissues Post Count: 30 | Prerequisites: Synthetic Genes The next level of organization up from customized proteins, synthetic tissues are artificial from the ground up and do not ordinarily exist in nature. Implantable in an organism, these tissues can carry out useful functions that were not available before; such as secretion of a specific chemical. Relatively simple, synthetic tissues have not yet been perfected to form new organ systems. Longevity Treatments Post Count: 30 | Prerequisites: Synthetic Genes, Genome Repair A better grasp of genetic editing allows for a direct focus on extending an individual's lifespan, developed from earlier genefixing techniques. Longevity treatments target carefully selected genes for editing or total replacement, allowing for the patient to both stay young longer and find decades added to their life. Tier 4 Specialized Morphotypes Post Count: 40 | Prerequisites: Sophisticated Cloning, Improved Chimera Gestation, Synthetic Tissues An obvious application of all developments in the field of biology thus far, specialized morphotypes are the first big step away from the familiar. Combining new technologies and techniques permits a civilization to develop new subspecies adapted for specialized tasks. The social consequences will be intense. Trait Enhancement Post Count: 40 | Prerequisites: Synthetic Tissues While your species has been unique, they have not been exceptional. The natural rate of healing is too slow, and for whatever reason you never did evolve a way to repair nerve damage. Trait enhancement covers a variety of genetic modifications that directly improve on what was available before. Eyesight, cognitive ability, growth rate, metabolic efficiency, can all be tweaked and improved to create a better sophont. Tier 5 Exotic Solvents Post Count: 50 | Prerequisites: N/A Past developments in biotechnology have been reliant on improving and perfecting species similar on a chemical level to your own. Concepts of bizarre forms of life using ammonia, methane, hydrogen sulfide, or water in place of what evolved naturally on your home world have been common, but unproven. Finally, engineering on the chemical level have allowed your scientists to design and create life based on utilizing these alternative solvents. Genetic Storage Analogs Post Count: 50 | Prerequisites: N/A Theories about exotic, nonstandard ways of storing genetic information have been common. Practical experiments have been less common. A successful example of a living organism using an artificial genetic storage medium had never been achieved. Of course, that is until now. Chemical level advances in biological engineering have allowed your scientists to slowly and painstakingly build life out of exotic genetic storage molecules. Exotic Biochemistry Post Count: 50 | Prerequisites: N/A There are plenty of elements in nature that would do just about as good of a job being the backbones of biomolecules as the element your species is based on; silicon, carbon, germanium, even metal oxides. After painstaking research and engineering, your scientists have found analogs to current biomolecules based on these exotic elements. With such a strong grasp of biological engineering, building new forms of life out of them is easy. Tier 6 Environmental Tailoring Post Count: 60 | Prerequisites: Exotic Solvents, Exotic Biochemistry Terraforming has always been an expensive process that takes generations to complete and never really matches the qualities of home, be it from a different level of gravity, a different hue to the star, or plentiful solvents that are toxic to your natural biochemistry. Instead of changing the planet, it is now possible to change the species. Drastic modification can now create a phenotype perfectly suited for nearly any environment the universe throws at you. Category:Tech Tree